Etymologically
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effective

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪˈfek.tɪv/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English effective,[2] borrowed from Middle French effectif,[3][2] from Late Latin effectīvus (“productive, effective”),[3][2][4] from effectus, past participle of efficere (“to work out, accomplish, bring about”),[3][2] the source of effect.[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Serving to bring about an intended purpose: the late 14th century in Etymonline,[3] the 14th century in Merriam-Webster.[2] The OED's earliest sense, “having the function of carrying into effect”, is from about 1425.[6]

Semantic evolution

The sense “concerned in producing an event or condition” is from 1594,[6] and “having an effect, attended with a result” from 1760.[6] Of military forces, “fit for duty or action”, it is from the 1680s,[3] and the noun, a soldier fit for service, is from 1722.[7][2] In mechanics and economics, effective described the part of a force that does useful work, from 1798.[6] Effective range, the distance at which a weapon works, is from 1859.[6] “In effect, in operation”, as in a law effective from a date, and “existing in fact, actual” are also current senses.[8][7] “Producing a strong impression; striking” is another.[8][7]

Timeline

  • c. 1425 – executing, accomplishing.[6]
  • 1594 – producing an event or condition.[6]
  • 1680s – of soldiers, fit for duty.[3]
  • 1722 – noun, a soldier fit for service.[2]
  • 1760 – having an effect.[6]
  • 1859 – effective range.[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Producing the intended or expected result.
  2. Making a strong impression; striking.
  3. In operation; in force: effective from Monday.
  4. Existing in fact; actual.
  5. Ready for service or action, especially in war.

Noun

  1. A soldier or piece of military equipment ready for combat.

Word family

  • effectiveness
  • effectivity
  • effectively
  • ineffective
  • noneffective
  • subeffective
  • supereffective
  • effect
  • effectual
  • efficacious
  • efficacity
  • efficacy
  • efficiency
  • efficient

Usage notes

Effective, effectual, efficacious and efficient all mean “producing a desired effect”.[8] Effective and efficacious stress the power to produce it, effectual is used chiefly of the result, and efficient also implies a minimum of effort or waste.[8]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin